Letters Never Sent (MRI)

'Arabian' Alternative Heavy Rock.  Some Middle Eastern guitar scalics & modals with a bit of Alice In Chains-style vocal harmony layering. Not sure if we have the funds to buy the publishing to keep the 'I Am The Walrus' loop in towards the very end of track, so that may have to be X'd if we produce this ourselves.

http://soundcloud.com/abe...rus/letters-never-sent

LETTERS NEVER SENT (demo)
Words & Music by Daren Thomas Turner
© 2009 MRI

Letters never sent to no one
Written out of passion storming
Sentences of self destruction
Stacked inside a box of donuts
Scrawled onto gum wrappers
Etched into walls
 
Letters never sent to no one
Sticks and stones will break your homework
Habit of possessive language
Harsh, direct, imperfect wording
Scrawled on old newspapers
Etched into stones
 
Letters never sent to no one
Each replacing of the former
Burning not a bridge too far and
Close enough to hear some laughter
 
Letters never sent to no one
Double negative to grow on....
----------------------------------------------
MRI is
Daren Thomas Turner: vocals (baritone), guitars, loops;
Pete Murray [guest appearance]: vocals (tenor);
Alan Cruz: percussion;
Daniel Denial: bass
----------------------------------------------

YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98UjBdzm214

I actually wrote this after a trip to Morocco where I got stranded there and my wife had to go back to France to get me a new passport.  Didn't record it until years later.  My friend Pete Murray (of the California NuMetal band LoPro) guest appears doing the faux-Arabic screams.  Originally I had verses from the Koran in it, but removed most of them as it's no way a political/religious song nor 'Al Qaeda' anthem as some originally joked lol. I just love the unique modal scalics intrinsic in Arabian singing/chanting.  I kept a few in for color and Middle-Eastern feel. Song is basically about not burning bridges with people...

Cool. I like this. The vox treatment is overly wet IMO and too far back in the mix. I think dried up a bit and brought forward it would add much more power to the track. Good work.

Cheers
Shad

Hey, Daren,
 
Very cool song!  Excellent performance and production, and you've definitely got the AIC vibe down perfectly.
 
I do think I agree with Shad about possibly raising the vocals just a touch to float them over the dense mix a little bit more, but of course, that's always subjective.
 
Really nice work, great stuff!
Bob
 

Yep, your trademark layered vocals really work on this one, makes for a really rich sound. Very atmospheric track.

ABeautifulVirus


appreciate much the feedback. vox could be more upfront, but i'm on the fence about that. sometimes i'm of more of a Radiohead mentality where vocals are deliberately at less-than threshold clarity which makes it more interesting when one reads the lyrics. or an early Nirvana mentality of  more buried vocals set inside the mix.  either way, the goal was indeed to set atmosphere and i always envisioned this more as a cinematographic soundscape possibly being a piece of film soundtrack etc... hence the video i made was to suggest this abstract possibility of visual application

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98UjBdzm214

 
This song is quite cinematic.  And the radiohead emulation is right on, I would persue that angle with the next batch, which are coming soon right?   :)